Q&A with Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke are the authors of the new suspense novel The Two Lila Bennetts. Their other books include The Good Widow and Girls' Night Out. 

Q: How did you come up with the idea for the alternating "Sliding Doors” type of plot in The Two Lila Bennetts?

A: Funny story actually. Liz’s daughter, Riley, thought of the idea. Liz had introduced her to the movie and after watching it, she’d asked why we hadn’t written a book based on that concept. We took that idea and developed Lila and the story. We dedicated the book to Riley, of course!

Q: Why did you decide to make Lila a defense lawyer, and what do her experiences say about that profession?

A: We thought it would be interesting for her to have that career as it can be a controversial line of work. We felt it would add a lot of layers to the story—and to her character—as there would be a lot of unhappy people as a result of the cases she won—or lost.

Q: You noted that writing your previous novel was a strain on your friendship. What was the experience like this time around?

A: Dare we say, “A breeze!” We learned so much about each other during the writing and editing of Girls’ Night Out and definitely applied that to the collaboration of our novel this time around. As in any relationship, it hasn’t been perfect. There have been some disagreements, but it’s how we’ve learned to work through them that has changed.

Q: What do you hope readers take away from the story?

A: We hope readers will see that, despite her poor choices, Lila is inherently a good person. In other words, good people can do bad things. We also hope people will think about their own lives and the choices they’ve made that have led them to where they are today. Sometimes it can be as simple as one decision changing everything.

Q: What are you working on now?

A: We just finished our novel that comes out in July of 2020. Unfortunately, we can’t reveal much about it. But we can tell you that it’s NOT suspense. We are calling it a dark love story that will (hopefully) capture your heart!

Q: Anything else we should know?

A: Yes! We would love to connect with you on social media! If you head to Lizandlisa.com, you will find all the ways to connect to us!

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke.